The Google News page now allows you to customize your page in many wonderful ways. Not only can you rearrange whether news, sports, business, entertainment, technology, or whatever comes first, but you can also create customized news sections.
To customize Google News for you, simply click on the Edit Customized Page link in the gray box at the top right of the Google News Page.
I currently have news sections tracking the following three news items: Book marketing, self-publishing, and John Kremer. You'd be surprised how many John Kremers there are in the world. I always thought I was the one and only, but there's a German scientist, a teenage football star in Pennsylvania, a vice president at a high-tech company, and more.
You can select any search terms you want and customize your news very specifically, especially by using the Advanced Search options. Track to see where the story of your book is hitting (you can search by book title), where you might have been interviewed, etc. Also check out the competition. Or keep on top of the news in your special area of interest.
I love seeing how I or one of my dopplegangers made the news each day. Today, for example, my post at BlogCritics.org was the top news story under self-publishing. That's cool.
Check it out. It can be a useful tool for planning your marketing campaigns, especially as you track to see where your competition is making the news. Two to three months from now that same media will be looking for your story. Be sure you know about which media are covering what stories. Google News can help you do that.
